2014 Smartphones: What Your Peers Endorse

2014 Smartphones: What Your Peers Endorse

The Holdout

Rob Shepherd, ABR, GRI, principal broker at Coldwell Banker Coast in Florence, Ore., put off upgrading from his flip phone to a smartphone for as long as he could.

“I finally gave in and bought a Galaxy Mini late last year,” Shepherd says. His daughter set the phone up so that he can correspond by call, text, and e-mail.

Shepherd says that he welcomes the smartphone’s larger screen as a convenience, but he doesn’t expect that he will use it as a mobile PC or camera. “I’d rather talk than text; to me, a phone is not a typewriter,” Shepherd says. “I’m not one of those people always looking down [at my phone]. My phone stays in my pocket most of the time.”

Android Advocate

The iPhone was Ashley Osborn’s first choice in 2009, but she eventually made the switch to Android with a Samsung Galaxy SIII.

“I need to see my screen, and the iPhone at that time was just too small,” says Osborne, an associate broker with First United Realty in Atlanta. She still carries a notebook PC but uses her Galaxy for taking photos, searching the MLS, using social media, scanning documents, and adding digital signatures.

“It’s just a great tool,” Osborne says of her smartphone. “Whenever I do decide to upgrade, I’ll continue to stay with Android.”

Insight and Advice

As “tech ambassador” for Keller Williams Realty in Coral Gables, Fla., Christian Lowe advises other sales associates on the latest tools, including smartphones. Personally, he chose an iPhone 5 for its size, compatibility with Google apps, and iMessage app for texting by Wi-Fi where cellular service isn’t available.

When counseling others, “I actually first recommend you decide whether or not you need a Lifeproof case,” Lowe says. “If you plan on being at the beach or outdoors, then a phone with the Lifeproof case is the way to go.”

Then, he suggests weighing the merits of the operating system and compatible handsets. “Although the phones are important, I believe the apps and how you use them make or break you as a practitioner,” Lowe says. “It is crucial to have the necessary apps to do business on the go, if necessary, and keep track of everything.”